Political lessons from Thelma & Louise

As the dreaded Fiscal cliff approaches, Democrats are starting to sound like there might be something to be afraid of, after all.

I wrote an article on the "Fiscal Cliff" last week (Cliff notes, 11-28-12) and while it's a bit soon to review what I wrote, something appears to be happening. Left-wing pundits and politicians are acting like there actually might be something there to be afraid of, after weeks of treating it dismissively. As late as yesterday they were treating it dismissively.

Now, there seems to be real concern about the coming budget crisis. MSNBC's commentators, after a month or so of calling it a "fiscal curb" or "fiscal slope" rather than a cliff, are now making other noises. Chris Matthews, on his MSNBC show Hardball this afternoon, said that the fiscal cliff really was a cliff and not merely a bungee jump; we wouldn't necessarily rebound.

I myself have been dismissive about the fiscal cliff. Still am, in fact; I think that in the first few weeks of the new year Congress will actually get something done if they've got impending fiscal disaster, real or imagined, to frighten them. Other commentators differ...as the cliff approaches, they seem to be getting more afraid of going over the precipice.

There's another way to look at this. Until the "disaster" arrives at 12:01 (or so) AM on January 1, the Democrats are holding all the high cards. After the cliff goes from theoretical to fact, that advantage may dissappear. I'm not saying that the strength switches from one party to the other, I'm saying that the Democrats will not have the advantage of the Republican desire to avoid plunging into the unknown. They'll be on more equal ground...a condition to be avoided by any Washington insider of either party.

For now, though, it's advantage Democrats. Until the fiscal cliff becomes reality, the Republicans have more incentive to deal. The President and his party are making the most of that incentive. I won't say it's all over but for shooting the horses; I will say that the Republicans in Congress seem to have caved on whether or not the rich should pay more. (Sort of; the devil is, as always, in the details and those details are still pending.)

I think they'll have to pass tax cuts for the 98% without similar cuts for the 2%. I hope that they'll also give in, at least somewhat, on the pending matter of giving the President control over the debt ceiling without having to fight it out with Congress all the time.

Obviously there's a lot of uncertainty yet, and I think its that uncertainty that's fueling this building anxiety on the part of the Democrats in Congress. And it's that anxiety in Congress that is being echoed in the left-wing blogisphere.

At least, that's what I think is happening. I'm not any kind of authority and I can't say what's driving the left-wing blogisphere, even though I am a part of it. (And I hate that word "blogisphere;" it isn't even a freakin' word!) It is entirely possible that I don't know what I'm talking about. (So what else is new?) But it is important to note that if I have been wrong (am wrong) about the impending fiscal cliff, then most of the other Progressive bloggers and pundits were, until now, just as wrong.

The Blues Viking

The opinions here expressed are mine and if you don’t like them you can get your own damn blog.

From 11-12-2012: Fiscal 'cliff?' No, fiscal 'curb'... (The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, MSNBC)

From 11-18-2012: Petrified by the Fiscal Cliff? Relax, it's just a slope (NBC News)

From today, 12-06-2012: This is a fiscal 'cliff,' not a bungee jump (Chris Matthews on Hardball, MSNBC)